Help reading a gravestone
That is the headstone of the Grandfather of a friend of mine. Does anyone know what the “801 MS Repair CO TC” means?
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I would guess “Maint Service, Repair Company, Tactical?
Oops, Maintenance Support
Also, I found this: “The history of the 801st Main Support Battalion began with the activation of the 801st Airborne Ordnance Company on 2 October 1942. During World War II, the 801st established shop operations at Reading, England. On 6 June 1944, elements of the company landed in France by glider while remaining personnel arrived at Utah Beach on D-Day in the famous defense in Bastogne. The company was inactivated at Auxere, France on 30 November 1945.”
I don’t think the question was on the Tec5, it was on the” 801 MS repair co TC
The 801st Main Support Battalion (MSB) was organic to the 101st Airbrone Division’s Divisional Support Command (DISCOM). 801st MSB consisted of a headquarters and supply company, a transportation company, two maintenance companies, a medical company, and 95th TMDE. The battalion provided direct support logistics and Division level HSS to Divisional, and in some cases non-Divisional, units located in the Division rear area. 801st MSB provided water points in the Division and brigade support areas for the purification operations. The battalion provided motor transport for supplies and personnel in support of Division operations. It also provided DS maintenance and common/missile repair parts supply support. In medical, the 801st MSB provided Echelon I and II HSS on an area basis for units in the Division rear.
The history of the 801st Main Support Battalion began with the activation of the 801st Airborne Ordnance Company on 2 October 1942. During World War II, the 801st established shop operations at Reading, England. On 6 June 1944, elements of the company landed in France by glider while remaining personnel arrived at Utah Beach on D-Day in the famous defense in Bastogne. The company was inactivated at Auxere, France on 30 November 1945.
In June 1956, the 801st Battalion was activated at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. In the spring of 1966, a contingent of the Battalion deployed to South Vietnam in support of the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. The entire Battalion deployed to Vietnam in 1967. The 801st occupied both Camp Eagle and the Phuy Bai Combat base.
I would wager a guess that the ‘TC’ is Transportation Corp!
Resident historian here says TC is Transportation Corps, looks like we have a winner.
Wonder what “MS” means? If we knew that maybe it would give a clue as to “TC”?
MS= Maintenance Support
I believe it may refer to:
Look under ” Seacraft Repair Ship”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ships_of_the_United_States_Army
USARS William F. Fitch (1902), first in SWPA, 801st AMSR CO.
Army Marine Ship Repair Company (AMSR CO.)
TSO: I think that could be short for “Repair Company, 801st Main Support Battalion, 101st Airborne Division”.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/801msb.htm
Just off the top of my head, TC could be Transportation Corps. I can’t come up with what that would make the “MS” mean–mobile shop, maybe. Perhaps, if I”m right about the TC, one of the museums at Ft. Lee (http://www.lee.army.mil/about/history.aspx) or Ft. Eustis (http://www.eustis.army.mil) would know more.
From VOV’s post, maybe Transportation Corps???
Another major problem for the division was the constant shortage of supply and maintenance troops. The 801st Ordnance Company started for Bastogne on 19 December. Five miles from the town, the Germans ambushed them. The Allied command then diverted the unit and placed it under VIII Corps’ control until 29 December.41 Therefore, the division had no direct support maintenance or evacuation capability until after the Allies broke the German encirclement.
If he was buried in 1966 that was very early in the VA’s issuance of the bronze plaques. It could simply be a matter of the family giving the VA the wrong info. Look how often families get the unit designations wrong in obituaries.
So we may be pondering a problem for which there is no solution provided the information we have.
Could be, Poetrooper. It could also be a case of the VA getting things a bit wrong as well due to being “new at the game” re: markers.
I believe 801st Maint/Spt Bn was what the unit was called in 1966. The guy was buried about 6 mo after part of the unit deployed to Vietnam with 1st Bde, 101st Abn. If the guy served with the 101st in their maint unit during World War II, the VA could have gotten the unit designation from the 101st, not realizing that it had changed since World War II.
Correction – it was the “801st Maintenance Battalion” in 1966.
http://old.506infantry.org/duckett/801bsblineage.html
TSO, I would wager that when the head stone was made, the unit of assignment got “lost in translation” as it was passed down the line until the headstone was made. I bet everyone obove me in the comments has the right unit ID. I bet if you can find a copy of the unit rolls from WWII, you can find his name.
I am going to go against the grain and say that the 801st on the headstone is not the 801st Support Battalion that was part of the 101st. If he was in the 801st Ordnance Company that is what he would have known it as and that is what his paperwork would have shown. He would probably not even have know about the redesignation of the Ordnance Company to a support battalion. It may not have been the same 50 years ago but the VA does not go on what the family tells them. When my dad died a couple of years ago we had to provide a copy of his DD-214 (Korean War era-veteran) in order to get his marker from the DAV. And if he had been in the 801st Ordnance Company it would not list it as the “801 MS Repair Co”. The TC
I was trying to say that the TC may very well have been Transportation Corps, but my guess is that the unit he was in no longer exists even under a different designation.
I agree with ChipNASA that William Keller was part of the Army Marine Ship (MS) Repair Company, which was part of the Transportation Corps (TC)TO&E in 1945.
The 801st Army Marine Ship Repair Company was in Manila, Philippines in 1945.
Forgot to add the information about the Army Marine Ship Repair Company:
Source is pages 55-56, Field Manuel 55-6, War Department, dated December 1945.
The Company was a Transportation Corps (TC) unit.
http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc9495/m1/1/
Agree with Mark Henderson as well that Mr. Keller was with the 801st Marine Ship Repair Company and believed he was in the PTO instead of the ETO.
The Army Center for Military History may help here.
http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/divcomp.html
From a search of the lists there, if the man was assigned to a division during World War II, there are only 2 possibilities: 801st Airborne Ordnance Company (101st Abn Div) or the 801st CIC Detachment (1st Cav Div).
Still looking to see if I can find a listing of non-divisional units by unit designation.
Addendum: as ChipNASA noted above, the 801st Marine Ship Repair Co is a possibility as well. Also, there was a 801st Combat Support Hospital during World War II – Activated at Bragg in 1942, inactivated at Camp Kilmer, NJ, in 1946, and probably served in the ETO.
http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/hosp/0801cshosp.htm
2nd Addendum: found two more possibilities while searching Army Lineage and Honors info by branch:
http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lh.html
801st Engineer Co – http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/eng/0801enco.htm
801st Quartermaster Det – (unit had a different designation during World War II) – http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/qm/0801qmdet.htm
This probably isn’t complete, as units that have been inactivated and to which no current Army units trace their lineage probably aren’t listed. USAAC/USAAF units probably also aren’t listed there either.
Bottom line: if the guy served in the PTO, I’d guess ChipNASA nailed it. If he served in the ETO, I’d guess he was with the 801st Airborne Ordnance Company and the VA likely used the unit designation for the 1966 equivalent (801st Maint/Spt) on his marker.
Unless, of course, he was USAAC/USAAF. Then all bets are off.
The key may be the rank. I don’ t think the Army used TEC5 during WWII, if ever. The Army would have used Specialist 5, which would have been an E-5, right? I was a specialist, an E-4, after the SPEC-5 rank was done away with (although I did find some SPEC5 rank insignia in one of three supply rooms my company moved into. (My dad usually wrote to me as a “SP4” as that was his final rank.)
If the TEC5 is correct on the marker and I’m right about this, it’s an US Army Air Corps or US Army Air Force rank, which is a whole ‘nother ball park.
Actually, no. The Army used Technicians 3, 4, and 5 from 1942-1948.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_enlisted_rank_insignia_of_World_War_II#Technicians
My last living uncle was a Tech (T/5, I believe – Corporal equivalent – though he might have been a T/4) in the South Pacific during World War II. He wasn’t Army Air Corps.
Cross talk, but 5 x now.
Hondo,
My ole’ man was a
Tech CPL and SGT in Korea 51-53 and his discharge cert is from “Army of the United States” vs. “United States Army”.
Rats! “Let out clutch on brain then engage mouth” or search then post. Wikipedia says it’s an Army WWII rank, as per the FaceBook commenter above. So does the Institute of Heraldry article “History of Enlisted Ranks.”
Tec 5 actually was a us army rank though it was referred to as technician fifth grade and was basically a corporal chevron with a t on the bottom it was replaced by the specialist ranks in 1955.
Well I am here at Ft. Campbell so I will go by the museum and check to see if they might be able to shed some light on the matter. I retired in 2011 and can’t remember if the 801st was still here at Ft. Campbell.
A simple question from TSO has turned into a very interesting thread, IMHO. Thanks to all the contributors.
Anybody notice, he died young? He was 44 years old. Can someone do an FOIA on him?
Richard, this man is my grandfather. I don’t remember him as he died before I was 5 years old. He took his own life and wasn’t spoken of by the rest of the family. This thread has been very helpful and I’m grateful for everyone’s assistance.
Is this in a Federal cemetary? If so any family member can see and copy records that the cemetary has. Maybe years ago they actually used DD214s; obviously not the case any more.
Found another “Served with Patton” guy recently that actually graduated Basic in August 1945.
Well, Patton was in Germany until his death in December 1945, so “served with” as oppose to “fought with” / “saw combat with”, etc. *could* be true, but, yeah, probably blowing smoke.
My dad was in the 801st ARSRC, Camp John J Knight June 1944. I have a few pictures of those stationed there, including one of everyone in a group shot. If anyone is interested in copy of photos let me know